New York Fashion Week Men’s
Salvatore Ferragamo announced its return to Men’s Fashion Week earlier this year and even presented an amazing collection in Milan in January. However, the company didn’t issue any comment beyond the initial announcement of its return.
In the recent past, there has been a comeback of menswear shows with Ferragamo joining other major brands that have announced stand-alone menswear shows. The show is expected to commence in Autumn/Winter 2020.
Gucci, after testing waters with several seasons of co-ed shows, said it would be showcasing its menswear collection in Milan as well.
Another brand that has also made a conscious decision to showcase its collection is Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller. In the January of 2019, Givenchy’s teased with a 36-look collection in Paris Fashion Week Men’s, and went on to debut at Pitti Uomo.
The return of men’s fashion week is another revolutionary trend in the fashion industry. At the beginning of 2019, there were debates on whether or not there was a point to bring back men’s fashion week, especially in major cities such as New York and London. This is because menswear designers in such cities have struggled to make a name.
In the past, plenty of brands integrated men’s collection to co-ed shows on women’s calendar as men’s fashion shows couldn’t stand on themselves. Major brands, including Balenciaga, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, and Calvin Klein, did this.
However, in the recent past, men’s fashion is becoming a bigger part of the fashion business. Yes, it is not up to the level it should stand on itself, but it is growing. More men are beginning to care about fashion, and that’s encouraging.
During the spring/summer 2020 season, New York Fashion Week Men’s was crowned by a commendable number of brands, including Bode and Sies Marjan. However, since the sustainability of such events depends on whether or not they make commercial sense, there is hope that men’s fashion will take an upward trend. Big and small companies are still weighing up factors of consumer interest and cost, and also finding ways of marketing their events.
One of the ways brands are generating hype and encouraging more men to embrace fashion is by using celebrities as guests in fashion shows.
For instance, Louis Vuitton, which has managed to hold separate fashion shows for men and women for years, has managed to generate hype and massive social media engagement thanks to the hyped-fashion shows, use of celebrities, as well as choosing to hold events in posh venues. That’s why Tribe Dynamics reported that Louis Vuitton brand has managed to surpass bigger brands such as Gucci when it comes to having massive social media engagement.
Another factor that is motivating brands to bring back men’s fashion show is the fact that more men are willing to buy luxury goods. Fashion is more of a luxury, and in the past, men didn’t put a lot of effort in following fashion trends.
However, as per the market research done by Euromonitor International, men’s designer apparel sales shot by 4.5% in 2018 to hit $32.2 billion compared to women’s fashion, which grew by 4.3% to hit $53.9 billion. This has encouraged big brands to think about bringing back menswear fashion shows to showcase their collection since there is significant attention at the moment.
This is a positive indicator that men’s fashion is being embraced, and it makes commercial sense to hold stand-alone men’s fashion shows instead of trying to integrate their collection in women’s shows.
That’s why fashion designers and experts say that it makes strategic sense for brands to return men’s show into their calendar so that it can have an identity. When combined with women’s fashion show, it gets diluted by the noise of women’s fashion week.
Also, there is a shift in fashion looks. Athletic inspired silhouettes are paving the way for sartorial pieces- a trend brands like Ferragamo could benefit from. Gucci, too has tried to bend their trademark maximalism towards monochromatic looks on its male collection.
However, despite calls for stand-alone men’s shows returning getting more and more common, Co-ed shows will still continue to air. Of course, the dual women’s and men’s fashion week will also continue alongside stand-alone men’s shows.
In other words, we are going to see menswear everywhere, which means more fashion trends for men.